Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 507 - Three Hundred and Thirty: This Palace Wants to See Her_2

Chapter 507: Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty: This Palace Wants to See Her_2

This was the first time Bai Muxi had seen the giant city on the ground. Curiosity and bewilderment shimmered in her bright eyes, but the "special training" Li Qingyan had given her over the past month meant she did not say much, obediently riding her horse and following behind.

Gazing at the dilapidated streets on either side, Xu Yuan pulled on the reins and quietly asked Li Qingyan,

"Qingyan, why must we stay in Northern Border City?"

Li Qingyan, dressed in a wrapped-chest black garment, looked back with a teasing tone,

"What, is our Third Young Master so eager to return to the Imperial Capital and marry me?"

Xu Yuan chuckled and replied without hesitation,

"Don’t make promises here that you can’t fulfill. Commitments that can’t be kept become shackles, and I’ve yet to see you fulfill any promises you made this month."

As he said that,

he whispered cajolingly,

"Tsk, tsk, keep your word, Li Qingyan."

"....."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Li Qingyan’s fair, unearthly face. She took a deep breath and pretended not to hear, answering the question not asked,

"Although the Barbarian King has been eliminated, I still feel uneasy about the battle against the barbarian armies within our territory."

Xu Yuan did not dwell on the previous matter but pursued the topic with interest,

"Are you worried that the Imperial Court’s army will be defeated?"

"It won’t come to that. Without the Barbarian King, the barbarians are like wolves with no teeth or claws, practically resigned to defeat."

Li Qingyan’s voice carried a hint of mirth, which quickly turned serious as she whispered, "But there are many things I must confirm beforehand, at the very least... we need to make sure the barbarian rout still maintains its formation. If it does, and we run into them while riding south on a griffin, with the state of my injuries, it will be difficult to ensure your safety."

Xu Yuan caught the implication in Li Qingyan’s words, narrowing his eyes,

"At the very least... you’re worried that our father, the Emperor, has already made a move against the Sects of the Northern Frontier’s Three Prefectures?"

Li Qingyan turned her gaze back without responding, yet her crimson pupils bore a chill as sharp as snow.

She had not forgotten that the fall of Northern Border City was due to the inaction of these Sects, nor the blood feud they had left on the Border Army soldiers over all these years.

Now that the time for reckoning had come, how could she head straight to the Imperial Capital?

Xu Yuan could not see the expression on Li Qingyan’s face clearly through the screen, but he could guess her mood. Twirling the Sumeru Ring, which belonged to the Barbarian King, on his fingertip, he suddenly asked through a whisper,

"Qingyan, how do you plan to deal with our Second Brother?"

"How do you want to deal with him?"

"We’ve been out of contact for so long, I suppose he might have assumed that we are dead by now."

"...He won’t."

"Hmm?"

"....."

Li Qingyan inhaled deeply, her voice cool,

"I say, that Second Brother of ours isn’t so naive."

Xu Yuan frowned slightly,

"What do you mean?"

Li Qingyan looked distantly toward the south, as if she could see the Second Prince’s face through the city walls, her lips curling with a touch of coldness,

"Think of it from his perspective, and you’ll understand."

Xu Yuan touched his chin in contemplation,

"The plan was to send us into the barbarian camp; if it had gone smoothly, Barbarian King Chi Su wouldn’t have simply vanished with us... is that what you mean?"

"Something like that," Li Qingyan nodded slightly, "I’m not familiar with this Second Brother, but I’ve heard some things about him. If I can think of it, he most likely can too."

Xu Yuan shook his head, musing,

"And yet... we have no evidence."

Li Qingyan glanced at Xu Yuan with a smile,

"Indeed, we don’t, but don’t you have the body of that fox spirit?"

"...."

Xu Yuan suddenly fell silent.

Nan Jinxi, huh...

He actually didn’t have much of a grudge against that fox spirit; on the contrary, he even found her quite pitiable.

One of the three sovereigns of the Fox Tribe, she died so nonchalantly for a heartless man, skinned and deboned, now lying silently in the lifeless Sumeru Ring.

In silence, Xu Yuan said softly,

"Even if the Second Prince truly had feelings for her, with his cunning, he would not admit it, nor would he show any sign of it."

A trace of pride flickered in Li Qingyan’s beautiful and fierce brows, her eyes curving into two crystalline crescents,

"But at least it can disgust him. When I see him again... how about presenting him with a bowl of fox meat porridge?"

Xu Yuan’s eyes twitched, then he laughed,

"Do you think he’ll drink it?"

Li Qingyan looked up at the gloomy sky and snorted,

"He’ll have to drink it even if he doesn’t want to."

In the midst of their conversation, the party of three had been led by the Demonic Beast Department to the current Colonel’s camp of Northern Border City.

The city is now guarded by the White Armors’ Xuanwu Camp, the fourth garrison of Northern Border City, which, according to Li Qingyan, was a direct force provided by her uncle.

Of the six garrisons of Northern Border, the fourth and sixth were assigned to Li Qingyan, a scion of the Imperial Family, by Marquis Wucheng.

Li Qingyan did not conceal this fact from Xu Yuan.

However, upon learning this, Xu Yuan became somewhat puzzled about the relationship between Marquis Wucheng and the Imperial Family.

The Northern Border Army should be considered essentially Marquis Wucheng’s private troops, just like the Zhenxi Army is to Xu Yuan’s good "brother" Li Junwu’s father.

Marquis Wucheng is a Royalist, but according to Xu Yuan’s understanding, the Royalists support the emperor because it brings them greater benefits.

It’s equivalent to a gamble.

However, Marquis Wucheng didn’t try to use his troops to establish his own power but rather his private army was directly handed over to the Imperial Family, sacrificing his own interests to support the emperor.

Stepping into the tent, a brawny man in White Armor was sitting in the chief seat, flipping through military documents. Seeing the three people come in, he just lifted his eyelid, his voice was deep and impatient:

"I wonder what brings the three of you here?"

"...."

Xu Yuan felt somewhat strange.

Is this the direct line? Wearing a different curtain and changing clothes, you can’t recognize your own immediate superior?

Li Qingyan didn’t speak, her gaze swept over the other officers busy in the tent.

The Colonel frowned slightly, sighed, and with some impatience waved his hand at his subordinates, signaling them to leave.

After a few breaths, only Xu Yuan’s group of three and the White Armored Colonel remained in the entire tent.

After dismissing everyone, the brawny man in White Armor directly came down from the chief seat and knelt on the ground, his voice trembling:

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

So, it turned out he had recognized her, and was now playing along with this "Wrapped Chest Princess" act.

The people sitting in this position are all shrewd... with a single glance, they can guess the intentions of their superiors.

Xu Yuan ridiculed in his heart, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Qingyan walk past the Colonel and sit down in the chief seat, looking down at the brawny man in White Armor, she said,

"What’s the situation now?"

As a member of the direct line, the brawny man in White Armor clearly understood what the Highness was asking. He subconsciously glanced at the two unknowable identities next to him and still replied in a low voice:

"It has already started, the gates of Tianqiong Palace and the Seven Azure Sect were breached by Sect Master Zhang and Commander Shi over ten days ago."

Commander Shi, the commander of the sixth town of the Northern Border.

There was silence after he spoke,

Li Qingyan took off her curtain and placed it on the desk, her face looked as if she had expected all this, she lightly tapped the desk, pondering for a moment:

"What about the other sect gates? Any movements?"

The White Armored brawny man pondered slightly:

"I apologize, Your Highness, as I am assigned to the Northern Border City, I do not know much detailed information."

Li Qingyan glanced at him:

"Has the Communication Crystal in the city been repaired?"

The White Armored brawny man knew that His Highness wanted to contact the Imperial Capital, he immediately nodded:

"It has been repaired, does Your Highness wish to use it?"

Li Qingyan contemplated for a moment, but didn’t immediately go to use it, instead she said:

"No rush, you first tell me everything you know."

The White Armored brawny man knelt on one knee and immediately recounted all the major events that had happened within the Dayan Territory since Li Qingyan and Xu Yuan disappeared.

The final battle between The Imperial Court and the Barbarian Tribes.

The crushing defeat of the Barbarian army.

The Emperor using the mandate to exterminate the barbarians as an excuse to move troops.

Using the "Eclipse" to blockade the Sect gates.

And...

"... not long ago, a woman came from the Imperial Capital holding the token of the Sects’ Sword Saint."

"...."

Upon hearing the last part, Li Qingyan gave Xu Yuan an indifferent glance:

"Changtian, she’s looking for you?"

Xu Yuan hesitated and asked subconsciously:

"General, could you please describe in detail what this woman looked like?"

The White Armored brawny man hesitated slightly:

"Golden pupils..."

"Thump..."

Before he could finish,

Xu Yuan’s heart tightened, and he involuntarily stepped back.

Something was wrong.

Li Qingyan frowned upon seeing this:

"What’s the matter?"

Xu Yuan pulled at the corner of his mouth and whispered:

"The Jiatiange Saintess."

Li Qingyan’s eyes flashed with recollection, and she quickly realized who the woman was, her eyes curving into two crystal-clear crescents:

"Colonel Zhang."

"I am here."

"Call this Saintess up here, tell her the Princess wants to see her."

"...." Xu Yuan.